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The United States has increased the pressure on Syria's president, imposing sanctions on him personally for the first time in a bid to end the deadly violence sweeping his country.

The US is imposing sanctions on Bashar al-Assad for human rights abuses, freezing his assets in the US and making it illegal for Americans to do business with him.

The Obama administration has hardened its tone.

"President Assad has a clear choice: either to lead this transition to democracy or to leave," a senior US official said, speaking on condition of anonymity.

Syrian activists say at least 700 civilians have been killed in two months of clashes between government forces and protesters seeking an end to Mr Assad's 11-year rule.

The protests began after demonstrations toppled authoritarian leaders in Tunisia and Egypt.

The Syrian leader recently said the security forces had made some mistakes in their handling of protests during the uprising across the country.

Democractic reform

The United States' acting under-secretary for terrorism and financial intelligence, David Cohen, says the Syrian leader must embark upon a path of meaningful democratic reform.

"The actions the administration has taken today send an unequivocal message to President Assad, the Syrian leadership and regime insiders that they will be held accountable for the ongoing violence and repression in Syria," he said.

The US and European Union had previously imposed sanctions on other senior figures but had stopped short of targeting the country's leader.

The move comes a day before US president Barack Obama's highly anticipated foreign policy address, reflecting on the uprisings in the Middle East and North Africa.